Belief-aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA)

Abstract

The Belief-aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA), developed by Cervone et al. (2023), is a concise, 9-item psychological scale designed to measure individuals’ propensity for engaging in collective action. A core strength of the BCA is its ability to rigorously differentiate between active behavioral engagement in collective action and mere ideological alignment concerning a specific social or political issue. The instrument was developed through two comprehensive studies involving adult populations in Italy and the United Kingdom. Psychometric analyses, including rigorous exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, confirmed a robust two-factor structure (Normative and Non-normative actions), retaining 9 key items. The scale demonstrates strong internal consistency and high construct validity, confirming its reliability and accuracy in assessing belief-aligned collective action intentions.

Keywords

Collective Action, Activism, Social Issues, Normative Action, Non-Normative Action, Psychological Measurement, Psychometrics

Authors

Carmen Cervone, Caterina Suitner, Luciana Carraro, Anne Maass

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA) is to comprehensively assess collective action potential, with a specific emphasis on achieving a precise differentiation between active engagement in collective action and an individual’s general ideological alignment with a particular issue. This distinction is crucial for understanding the transition from holding a belief to acting upon it.

The measure was engineered to overcome the limitations inherent in previous assessments that often conflated these two distinct psychological aspects. By providing a more nuanced and impartial measure, the BCA allows researchers to gain a deeper understanding of individuals’ willingness to participate in collective endeavors, regardless of the specific political or social context being investigated.

Construct

The BCA measures the psychological construct of belief-aligned collective action, conceptualized as the behavioral intention to engage in specific activities supporting one’s stance on a social or political issue. This construct is explicitly defined by a two-factor structure, differentiating between socially acceptable forms of engagement and more controversial or illegal forms of protest.

The two primary factors assessed are Normative Actions, which encompass conventional and lawful methods of activism (e.g., signing petitions, attending permitted rallies), and Non-normative Actions, which relate to unconventional, confrontational, or potentially illegal methods (e.g., blocking access, engaging in illegal acts). This structural distinction allows for the separate analysis of conventional and radical forms of activism potential.

Validity

The Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA) demonstrates strong construct validity, indicating that it effectively measures the intended theoretical dimensions. The willingness to engage in both Normative and Non-normative actions, as assessed by the BCA, showed reliable positive correlations with relevant psychosocial constructs, such as the perceived efficacy of these actions and individuals’ past engagement in similar activities. Correlation coefficients supporting this relationship ranged from .37 to .62 in the Italian sample and from .48 to .61 in the UK sample.

Further evidence for validity includes positive correlations with individuals’ propensity for seeking information and their perceived participative efficacy. Conversely, the BCA showed a significant negative correlation with the Economic System Justification (ESJ) scale, suggesting that individuals more inclined toward collective action are less likely to justify existing socioeconomic disparities. Emotional factors also played a significant predictive role: Anger was identified as the strongest predictor of engaging in Normative actions, while a stronger feeling of contempt among participants correlated with a greater willingness to engage in Non-normative actions.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA) has been thoroughly evaluated through both exploratory and confirmatory analyses, demonstrating optimal to adequate reliability across its factors and the full scale, confirming that the items reliably measure their respective constructs.

• Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) Reliability Results:

  • Normative Actions: Optimal reliability was observed, with Cronbach’s alpha (α) values of .83 in the Italian sample and .87 in the UK sample.

  • Non-normative Actions: Reliability was adequate in the Italian sample (α = .76) and optimal in the UK sample (α = .82).

  • Full Scale: Reliability was optimal, yielding α values of .82 in the Italian sample and .88 in the UK sample.

• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) Reliability Results:

  • Both Cronbach’s alpha (α) and McDonald’s omega (ω) total values confirmed optimal internal consistency for all factors and the full scale.

  • Normative Actions: α = .89, ω = .89

  • Non-normative Actions: α = .84, ω = .84

  • Full Scale: α = .87, ω = .87

Factor Analysis

The development of the BCA included robust factor analysis to establish its dimensional structure. The Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) consistently identified a two-factor structure. Although a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) initially identified three factors with eigenvalues greater than 1 in the Italian sample, an examination of the scree plot provided strong evidence supporting only two relevant factors. For the UK sample, both eigenvalues and the scree plot consistently pointed toward a clear two-factor solution.

The Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) subsequently validated this two-factor model, confirming the theoretical distinction between the Normative and Non-normative factors. The results demonstrated an excellent fit of this model to the observed data, as evidenced by high fit indices:

• Comparative Fit Index (CFI): .99

• Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI): .99

• Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA): .05

• Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR): .02

Instrument

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: The scale uses 9 items (derived from an initial set of 12) where participants rate the likelihood of engaging in specific actions to support their stance on an issue. Responses are measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 = “surely not” to 7 = “surely.”

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human

Age Group: Adulthood (18 years & older)

Population Details: The measure was validated using adult samples drawn from both Italy and the United Kingdom.

Test Methodology: The development and validation of the Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale involved a rigorous psychometric methodology including:

• Test Validity

• Construct Validity

• Test Reliability

• Internal Consistency Analysis

• Factor Analysis (Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis)

• Principal Component Analysis

Keywords

Collective Action, Activism, Social Issues, Normative Action, Non-Normative Action, Psychometrics, Political Psychology

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Carmen Cervone: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0057-0356; Caterina Suitner: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5211-100X; Luciana Carraro: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8100-4609; Anne Maass: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9802-5246

Affiliation Email addresses: Carmen Cervone: [email protected] (Email addresses for other authors are not available.)

Correspondence Address: Università di Padova, Dipartimento di Psicologia dello Sviluppo e della Socializzazione, Via Venezia 8, Padova, Italy, 35131, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: May use for Research/Teaching

Commercial Use: No

Fee: No fee required for use.

Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

Cervone, C., Suitner, C., Carraro, L., & Maass, A. (2024). An impartial measure of collective action: Development and validation of the Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 40(3), 258–268. doi:10.1027/1015-5759/a000762

Items of the Belief-aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA)

The Belief-Aligned Collective Action Scale (BCA) consists of 9 items, which are categorized into two distinct factors: Normative actions and Non-normative actions. The full set of test items are available, as indicated by the source, in the primary publication (2023-63001-001, Table 1, Page 3).

Factors and Subscales:

• Normative actions

• Non-normative actions

Normative Activism

1. I would sign a petition in favor of my position.

2. I would attend a rally, a march, or a protest to assert my position.

3. I would write to institutions and newspapers to bring forward my position.

4. I would collaborate in organizing an event to promote my position.

5. I would hand out flyers that promote my position.

6. I would display posters or banners (e.g., on my balcony or front door) to assert my position.*

Non-normative Activism

1. I would carry out an illegal act as part of a protest in favor of my position.

2. I would block access to a building or public area with my body to defend my position.

3. I would squat on a building to assert my position.

Note: *This item did not load significantly on the factor. Items are rated on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1 = surely not to 7 = surely.